In my past life, to maintain her "pure and innocent" persona, my junior colleague Chloe actually screamed during a hostage rescue mission: "Don't shoot!" Her idiotic stunt completely enraged the kidnapper, resulting in the brutal murder of the hostage. The hostage was a high school senior who had just finished her SATs. She had her whole life ahead of her, but it was violently stolen because of Chloe's incompetence. "Waaaah, I didn't mean for this to happen!" "I-I just thought the kidnapper was so pitiful..." Chloe collapsed, weeping dramatically into the arms of our squad captain, Marcus. My eyes were bloodshot with rage. "And that young girl wasn't pitiful?!" Chloe threw a massive tantrum, threatening to kill herself to atone for her "mistake." Every single one of my male colleagues rushed to comfort her. To quell the public outrage over the botched rescue, they pinned all the blame on me. The grieving, devastated family stalked my apartment, demanding blood for blood. And then, I was reborn. I opened my eyes on the exact day of that fateful mission. "Don't shoo—" Just like in my previous life, Chloe, who was supposed to be negotiating and stabilizing the kidnapper's emotions, suddenly turned and screamed toward my concealed sniper position. Luckily, I was ready this time. Without a fraction of a second of hesitation... BANG. The gunshot echoed. I cleanly and efficiently neutralized the kidnapper. I saved the pale, trembling high schooler from his grasp. Chloe charged toward me, pointing at the kidnapper's corpse and screaming at me. "Waaaah..." "Elena, how could you be so cruel?!" I shot a cold, disdainful glare at her pathetic, weeping performance and signaled the team to wrap up. But she stubbornly blocked my path. "No! Elena, you just murdered a living, breathing person! You have to explain yourself to everyone!" I shoved her aside so hard she tumbled onto the pavement. "Do you have any idea what the hell you're doing?" She covered her face, sobbing. "Elena, I..." The other officers rushed over at the sound of the commotion. Seeing them, Chloe instantly cried even harder. "Elena is so heartless!" "Does a kidnapper's life mean absolutely nothing?!" I turned back, grabbed her by the collar of her uniform, and slapped her hard across the face. Chapter 2 The sharp crack of the slap silenced the area. She stared at me in absolute, horrified disbelief. Seeing this, the other officers quickly shoved her behind them to protect her. "Hey, we can talk this out! Why did you have to hit her?" My face was pitch black. I glared at every single person standing there. "She is a police officer, yet she possesses absolutely zero professional ethics." "During an active mission, everyone follows orders. Her little 'pure-hearted' stunt almost got a child killed!" "Chloe was just..." Julian, who had joined the force at the same time as me, instinctively tried to defend her. "Don't give me that 'she's a rookie' crap. Did she sleep through four years at the academy?" I cut him off sharply. "These are basic protocols a middle schooler would understand! Who was she trying to get killed with that stunt?!" I glared at the group of spineless cowards who were now too intimidated to speak. "I will be submitting a full, unedited report of everything that happened today to command!" "If you have a problem with me, take it up with the Chief!" Chapter 3 Julian and Liam's faces turned ugly, but they were forced to swallow their anger. Chloe started hiccuping and crying again. "If Elena says so... then I guess I was wrong." "Please don't fight because of me." Her pathetic, damsel-in-distress act immediately elicited another wave of sympathy from the guys. "It's just... this mission was supposed to be my big break for a promotion and an accommodation." "Couldn't you just show a little mercy, Elena?" The other officers chimed in to back her up. "Even if she didn't succeed, she tried her best today, Elena. Do you really have to go this far?" "Yeah, everyone has different perspectives." "Just because she has a different opinion than you, you're going to go tattle to the higher-ups?" They were always like this. Blindly, unconditionally shielding Chloe. It was exactly this toxic enabling that allowed her to push boundaries and act like the rules didn't apply to her. I looked at Julian coldly. "As Chloe's superior officer, it is my absolute duty to provide a comprehensive evaluation of her performance in the field." "Since when is doing my job considered 'tattling'?" Knowing he was completely out of line, Julian averted his eyes, muttering under his breath, "Who knows if you're going to exaggerate things?" The corner of my mouth twitched upward in a cold smirk. "Do I even need to exaggerate?" "Let me remind you, every officer in this precinct earns their accommodations and promotions through rigorous physical skills and fearless performance in the field." "If you want those things, you have to prove you deserve them." "And since you all claim 'everyone has different perspectives,' I trust Chief Miller will be able to make the final judgment." Julian turned green with rage. "You..." "Elena, don't push it!" Chapter 4 Seeing her promotion slip through her fingers, Chloe panicked. She rallied her harem of officers and barged into my office without knocking. "Elena, I just felt a moment of compassion for the kidnapper that day." "Besides, it didn't even affect the mission's outcome!" "We're colleagues. Can't you just talk to Chief Miller and tell him you misunderstood my intentions?" She had really put some thought into this, deliberately begging me in front of an audience. She was trying to back me into a corner where refusing her would make me look like a monster. "I admit my skills aren't up to par, but I promise I'll work hard to improve. Is that not enough?" My expression didn't change a fraction of an inch, and my stance was absolute. "Since you admit you lack the skills and are willing to improve, I'll be submitting your name for every single mandatory remedial training program the precinct offers from now on." Hearing this, Captain Marcus couldn't sit still any longer. "Most of those programs are for fresh recruits. Aren't you just wasting Chloe's time?" A harsh scoff ripped from my throat. "Her actions the other day were worse than a fresh recruit's." "She wants the honors and the promotions, but refuses to put in the time to actually train." "Do you think this precinct is some country club where you can just network and coast by on favors?" Marcus choked on his words. "If she doesn't drastically improve her skills, who in their right mind would ever want to partner with her in the field?" As the captain, Marcus was supposed to remain neutral and not directly interfere or show favoritism in a dispute between two officers. But he couldn't bear to see his precious junior suffer even the slightest inconvenience, completely disregarding his position of authority. "Are you really going to be this ruthless?" His mouth pulled down into a scowl, his expression darkening by the second. "The precinct is a place for justice, not for your little cliques," I sneered, calling him out directly. "Even if the captain wants to play favorites, my stance will not change." "She must be formally disciplined for her actions today, or it will undermine the entire command structure!" Marcus couldn't hold back anymore. He slammed his fists onto my desk. "Elena, I think the first person who needs to be disciplined is you!" "You're constantly stirring up trouble in the squad and disrespecting the chain of command." "I am suspending you pending an investigation, effective immediately!" Chapter 5 Chloe, playing the saint, chimed in with fake concern. "Captain, it's all my fault. Please don't punish Elena." Marcus looked down at her, his eyes instantly softening with affection. "Chloe, you're just too kind. That's why she always bullies you." I let out a cold snort, thoroughly disgusted by their pathetic romantic melodrama. "You don't have the authority to punish me!" "I told you, if you have a problem, take it to the higher-ups!" Hearing me mention the higher-ups, a calculating glint appeared in Marcus's eyes. "Chief Miller is out of town today, so no one is going to protect you!" "Let's go. We're taking this to Deputy Chief Davis!" Our six-person squad marched into Deputy Chief Davis's office. Before Davis could even process the intrusion, Marcus launched into his attack. "Deputy Chief, we're here to report on the recent hostage rescue operation." Davis looked up at us, confused. "Wasn't that operation a success?" Marcus, vibrating with anger, looked like he wanted to physically throw me out of the precinct. "Elena acted unilaterally and almost got the hostage killed." "Furthermore, she constantly harasses Chloe and even physically assaulted her." "I believe her actions constitute a severe violation of precinct protocol!" "I am officially requesting that her accommodations for the past three years be revoked, and that she be suspended pending a full investigation." Deputy Chief Davis looked at me. "What do you have to say for yourself?" Davis was the mentor who originally trained me. He had always been kind and supportive. I vividly remembered my first time in the field; I was terrified of making a mistake. It was his patient guidance and unwavering support that gave me the confidence to complete the mission successfully. I trusted he would give me a fair hearing. "Sir, Marcus is completely twisting the truth." "Chloe actively disobeyed direct orders and disregarded the hostage's safety by screaming..." Before I could finish my sentence, he raised his hand to silence me. "So, you admit to the physical assault?" Chapter 6 My heart violently seized. My thoughts completely derailed. Before I could even attempt to defend myself, Julian and Liam eagerly jumped in to support Davis's leading question. "Elena's behavior is destroying squad morale. She needs to be severely punished." A chilling dread crept up my spine. I had tolerated their blatant favoritism in day-to-day matters, but in a situation this critical, how could they so blatantly ignore the actual crime? "Chloe disobeyed a direct command and almost got a hostage murdered. That is an indisputable fact!" Julian's eyes darted away for a fraction of a second, but his arrogant sneer quickly returned. "The situation wasn't nearly as critical as you're making it out to be. You were just desperate to play the hero and steal the glory." "Your own conduct is toxic, and now you're trying to drag Chloe down with you," he accused, completely ignoring protocol as he pointed a finger directly at my face. "Since the entire squad witnessed it, it's clear that Officer Elena's actions have had a severely detrimental impact on the precinct." "We will proceed with Captain Marcus's recommendation." My heart plummeted. He was actually going to close the book on this based on a complete lie. "I object! I demand to appeal to internal affairs!" Davis's brows slammed together. He glared at me with a cold sneer. "Chief Miller won't be back until next week. There is no one here to save you." Marcus grabbed my arm roughly. "Elena, pack your things and go home." "Stop embarrassing yourself in front of everyone." Right at that moment, the office door burst open. It was Ryan, a detective from the Investigations Bureau and a good friend of mine. "The victim and her father are here to see Officer Elena." The victim was the high school student I had saved from the kidnapper. Chapter 7 "Officer Elena!" The second the girl saw me, she ran over and threw her arms around me. "Officer Elena, the knife was literally pressed against my throat." "I thought I was never going to see my mom and dad again." "Waaaah..." Recalling the trauma of the kidnapping, she broke down in gut-wrenching sobs. "If it wasn't for you, I don't know what would have happened." Her father rushed forward, gripping my hands tightly, tears in his eyes as he endlessly repeated his gratitude. "Officer Elena, you are a true hero. A real police officer." "Our family will owe you our lives for the rest of our days." "..." "It's okay. Please," I reassured them. "It's my duty to protect and serve. You don't need to thank me." The girl suddenly pulled back. Her eyes swept the room and locked onto Chloe. "Officer Elena, not all police officers are like you." She glared at Chloe with pure venom. "If it wasn't for that officer screaming out of nowhere, the bad guy wouldn't have suddenly pressed the knife against me." Her voice carried clearly through the open office door. The bullpen outside went dead silent, then erupted into whispers. "What the hell was Chloe doing?" "If I were Elena, I'd want to kill her." "And she had the nerve to drag the whole squad in here to beg for mercy?" "Did you forget? She had the worst scores in the academy. Nobody knows how she even passed the psych eval." "Who knows? Maybe the rumors about her having connections are true." Chapter 8 Hearing the whispers, Ryan deliberately raised his voice. "Unfortunately, the 'good officer' you're thanking is currently being suspended pending an investigation." "What?!" The girl's eyes widened in absolute shock. "How is that possible...?" "What do you think? She offended the wrong people," Ryan said dryly. Deputy Chief Davis stormed out of his office, his face like thunder. "Ryan, watch your mouth." But the Pandora's box had been opened. The gossip was completely out of control. The girl's father marched right up to Davis, furious. "What exactly did Officer Elena do that warrants a suspension?!" Davis's face was dark, a muscle ticking in his jaw. He looked incredibly displeased. "This precinct is not a public forum for gossip." Intimidated by the Deputy Chief's authority, the father was forced to step back. But he whispered fiercely to me: "Officer Elena, if you ever need anything, anything at all, you just say the word." Right then, a team from the Public Relations department walked into the bullpen. "We heard there was a citizen commendation ceremony happening today." "We're here to take some promotional photos for the precinct's social media. We really want to highlight our officers' heroism." Chapter 9 "Yes, yes, of course..." The father immediately unfurled a massive silk banner. It read, in bold gold lettering: To Officer Elena - A True Guardian of the People. Davis instantly forced a rigid, awkward smile and played along. "What are you waiting for? Let's get the group photo." He looked at me. I was standing perfectly still, my arms crossed, refusing to move an inch. "Elena, get over here." I had a stomach full of rage and nowhere to vent it. This was the perfect opportunity. "Just five minutes ago, Deputy Chief Davis told me that my actions during the rescue had a 'detrimental impact' and suspended me pending an investigation." "So what exactly is this photo op supposed to be?" "I don't want to embarrass the department. You guys take the photo without me." With that, I turned on my heel, ready to walk out of the precinct. Hearing me publicly confirm my suspension, the PR team and the gathered officers instantly turned their questioning, burning gazes onto Davis. Their stares were so intense they practically pinned him to an invisible cross. The father angrily rolled up the banner. "If Officer Elena isn't receiving this, then I'm not presenting it." The PR team, having wasted a trip, looked incredibly annoyed. "We will be reporting this incident directly to the Commissioner's office. We expect a full explanation from Deputy Chief Davis." Chapter 10 The previously lively atmosphere froze instantly. The tension in the room was suffocating. Davis's face turned beet red, sweat practically dripping from his forehead. "It was just a misunderstanding." "Surely Officer Elena isn't going to hold a grudge over a simple miscommunication." I let out a cold laugh. "If the four of them apologize to me publicly, right now, I'll pretend this never happened." "You can't just hurl baseless accusations at an officer who risked her life, and expect no consequences. I want an apology." The vast majority of the bullpen began murmuring in agreement. Backed into a corner with nowhere to hide, the four of them were finally forced to step forward. In unison, they bowed their heads. "Elena, we apologize!"
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